Regulator certifies Dubai World Central for passenger operations

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the sole regulator of all licensed airfields within the UAE, has certified Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central (DWC) for passenger operations after assessing and confirming full compliance of the aerodrome with its stringent requirements.

In a letter issued by GCAA’s Air Navigation and Aerodrome department yesterday, the regulator accepted the implementation process for full passenger operations at the new airport and acknowledged the “hard work and commitment of Dubai Airports in achieving the status of full aerodrome operations”.

Dubai Airports Airside Operations staff work closely with the GCAA to make sure that operations at both Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central are fully compliant with the highest professional international standards and regulations set out in federal law.

Jamal Zaal, Vice President of Airside Operations at Dubai Airports, had this to say:

This is a welcomed and critical step forward in the process of preparing DWC for full passenger operations. We will continue to press ahead with trials that test every system, process and piece of equipment in the new terminal, be it signage, gates or boarding procedures to make sure the new facility is ready to accept passengers on October 27.

Facility preparations culminate in advanced passenger trails on October 12, 2013 where the full passenger journey through the new terminal will be tested by some 1,000 members of the travelling public to identify any areas for improvement before its doors open for business. An advanced passenger trial using employees will take place in early October as a dress rehearsal for the public trials.

Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports, had this to say about the support received:

As was the case with Concourse A trials last year, the support from volunteers has been tremendous which only goes to prove that in Dubai, people are passionate about aviation.

The new passenger terminal building is designed to accommodate five to seven million passengers per year. When completed, Dubai World Central will be the largest airport in the world with five runways and capacity for 160 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo, though Beijing is building an airport that may soon surpass those figures